butter beans v. lima beans

[tater bug]

A friend of mine and I were having a discussion about butter beans and lima beans. In my world, there is only one butter bean and it is speckled. Everything else is a lima bean. What is it in your neck of the woods? And is there a difference?

 

[dianeschlicht]

I always thought they were the same!

 

[Dodie]

My butter and lima bean experience has always been from a can.

Butter beans say "butter beans" on the can and are pale yellow/beige, bigger, and mushy in texture. (Yucky.)

Lima beans say "lima beans" on the label, are kind of a light green, a lot smaller, and a little firmer. (But also yucky.)

 

[eeyoreforever]

I always thought it was the same thing too. I remember growing up, my mom used to cook a pot of "butter beans" at least once a week.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I always thought butter beans were tannish in color and usually with sort of a thin gravy or sauce; lima beans more light green in color, no sauce nor gravy.

 

[dianeschlicht]

LOL, Dodie! I think the fact that they were from a can is why they were "yucky"! I love them fresh and frozen!

 

[browneyes]

For 33 years, I've thought of them as being different. But I looked on a can of butterbeans at home and in the ingredient list it listed them as being lima beans. These definitions have confused me also:

Butterbean (P. lunatus) - The Butterbean, also known as Sieva, Civet, or Seewee Bean are popular in the South, where they are staple hot-weather vegetables. Butterbeans are similar to Lima Beans but smaller and slightly more heat-resistant. There are climbing and bush varieties. Some produce seeds that have brown and maroon blotches when dry. Except when very small, these blotches turn dark when cooked. In the past, most Butterbeans were mainly white-seeded. There are now kinds with green immature seeds.

Lima Bean (P. limensis) - There is very little difference between the Butterbean and the Lima Bean as crosses are made. Lima plants grow either bushy or climbing. Lima Beans are larger and more vigorous than Butterbeans and they produce large pods with chubby, greenish seeds. Limas are less heat resistant than Butterbeans, however, the larger, thicker pods are easier to shell and the green beans are appetizing fresh or dried.

 

[Megan's Mom]

I always thought of them as being the same but my parents always planted butter beans. I don't remember ever calling them lima beans. I hated to shell them but I didn't mind shelling the colored butter beans because it was neat to see all the different shades and designs on them. The only problem when they were cooked they didn't look so good. Never was a fan of eating. My mother always put them in veggie soup and they weren't bad. could be I didn't like them because my dad would put ketchup on them.

 

[nativetxn]

YUM, speckled butter beans. LOVE them. Lima beans are green in my world

They probably are all part of the same plant family but my butter beans are speckled.

 

[Lanshark]

Butter beans and bigger and speckled. Lima beans are smaller and grean. They taste about the same to me. I love them both, especially when fresh.